Subscribe

8th grade · Social Studies · Unit 2 of 10

Rights & Amendments

The Bill of Rights and beyond

What your child practices

What the first ten amendments protect, the Reconstruction Amendments, and why rights come with limits and responsibilities.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 8.16(A); 8.19(A); 8.19(B); 8.21(B); 8.25(C) · unalienable rights, the Bill of Rights, free speech and press, and why the Constitution is amended

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments: the First protects speech, religion, press, assembly and petition; the Second is about keeping and bearing arms.
  2. Later amendments added rights: the 13th ended slavery, the 14th made people born in the US citizens, the 15th protected voting regardless of race.
  3. Match each amendment by its number and the right it protects.

Example: Which amendment protects freedom of speech? Freedom of speech is in the Bill of Rights. It is listed with religion, press and assembly. That is the First Amendment. Answer: the First Amendment

Rights & Amendments in Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 2 of 10 in 8th grade Social Studies, after Founding Ideals and before Factories & Reformers.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which amendment is about the right to keep and bear arms?

    • The Second Amendment
    • The Ninth Amendment
    • The Seventh Amendment
    • The Fourth Amendment

  2. Question 2

    Which amendment protects freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition?

    • The Fifth Amendment
    • The Second Amendment
    • The First Amendment
    • The Tenth Amendment

  3. Question 3

    Why do rights have limits?

    • One person's rights can't harm others' rights or safety
    • Only the president has rights
    • Limits are random
    • Rights don't exist

  4. Question 4

    Due process means…

    • The government must follow fair procedures before taking away life, liberty or property
    • Trials happen in secret
    • Police can do anything
    • Laws can't change

  5. Question 5

    Which amendment says you don't have to testify against yourself?

    • The Fifth Amendment
    • The Second Amendment
    • The Ninth Amendment
    • The Third Amendment

  6. Question 6

    Freedom of religion in the First Amendment means the government…

    • Requires church every week
    • Picks the religion for everyone
    • Bans all religion
    • Can't set up an official religion or stop people from practicing theirs

More 8th grade